THIS WEEKEND’S GAMES:
FRIDAY – North Iowa @ Breezy Point, 7:30 p.m.
SATURDAY – North Iowa @ Breezy Point, 7:30 p.m.
NORTH IOWA BULLS, 0-0-0-0 (ROSTER, STATS)
@ BREEZY POINT NORTH STARS, 1-0-0-0 (ROSTER, STATS)
COVERAGE: HockeyTV (video/$), Mixlr (audio/free, Saturday only)
BULLS vs. BREEZY POINT ALL-TIME: 33-1-0
NEXT HOME GAME: North Iowa takes the ice on October 4 for its final home opener in the North Iowa Ice Arena, sponsored by Kabrick Distributing of Mason City. The last home-opening blowout at the “Barn” features a pregame tailgate party, a postgame skate, $2 draws and more. For a schedule of upcoming promotions, click the “Game Day Fun” link at NorthIowaBulls.com.
ACT LIKE YOU’VE BEEN THERE BEFORE: The opening weekend of the 2019-20 season will feature several familiar faces on the Bulls’ roster. Seven players from last season’s team are slated to take the ice this weekend against Breezy Point, including Zach Simon, who will join the team for the early run prior to the start of the Minnesota high school season. The group will not be short on returning talent up front – of the seven veterans on this year’s team, five are forwards.
HE’S PROBABLY BEEN HERE BEFORE: One of the newest names on this year’s roster bears a familiar name to longtime North Iowa hockey fans – forward Evan Sivets is the younger brother of Patrick Sivets, a fan favorite during the first two seasons of the franchise’s history. The elder Sivets piled up more than 100 career points with the Bulls during the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons, including 96 points during the regular season. His 57 points during the 2012-13 campaign, and the team’s first national championship that season, helped him line up a four-year career with the St. Olaf hockey team.
ON THE ICE AT THE X: Two new players for this season wrapped up their high school careers a year ago at the Minnesota state tournament in St. Paul this past winter. Defenseman Nico Aguilera led Lakeville South High School to a fourth-place finish at state a year ago, coming into the tournament with 25 points and adding five more during his final three games of the year. Goaltender Joe Daninger led Blaine High School to third place a year ago at state, and posted some of his best numbers in the postseason. His .924 mark during the state tournament included a pair of wins.
HOCKEY’S IN THEIR BLOOD: A couple of new Bulls players have family ties within the sport, with siblings either committed to college programs, or having already suited up at the next level. Forward Austin McNeil has one sister already on the ice for a college team – older sister Lauryn has played for Gustavus Adolphus for the last two seasons, and a younger sister is already committed to the Division I program at Sacred Heart University in Connecticut. Forward Mason Enright has an older brother (Gavin) who is starting this season with the United States Hockey League’s Green Bay Gamblers and is committed to Division I Bemidji State University in Minnesota. Younger sister Claire committed last summer to play Division I hockey for the University of Minnesota.
MEDIA NOTES: